Jan. 12, 2006
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Tip-Off: 1:00 p.m. EST
Match Up: Navy (6-8, PL 0-2) at Lafayette (7-7, PL 1-1)
Site: Easton, Pa.
Arena: Allan P. Kirby Sports Center (3,500)
Series: Navy leads, 35-20
Radio: WEST-AM 1400, Dick Hammer
TV: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4, WBPH-TV 60) Gary Laubach, John Leone, Dan Mowdy
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - AT A GLANCE: The Leopards look to carry momentum from Wednesday night's Patriot League victory over Colgate into this afternoon's match-up against Navy. The Leopards are an even 7-7 and 1-1 in league play and welcome a 6-8, 0-2 Navy squad to College Hill. The Mids hold a 35-20 advantage in the all-time series, but the two teams have gone back and forth since the mid 1990s. Both teams have been victorious in nine of the last 18 battles.
LAST TIME OUT: Coming away with its best offensive output of the season, the Leopards shot 60 percent in a solid 85-74 slashing of Colgate, earning their first Patriot League win of the year. Senior Andrei Capusan had a career night, hitting 10-of-11 from the field for a game-high 21 points. Not far behind was junior Jamaal Hilliard, who enjoyed an impressive all-around game with 21 points, including 7-of-8 from the line and 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Matt Betley and Andrew Brown each pitched in with 10 points, while three other players registered at least six. It was a game of runs, but Lafayette's seemed to come timely, while the defense buckled down over the final minutes to stave off a Raider comeback.
CAN'T-MISS CAPUSAN: Co-captain Andrei Capusan came into this season expected to be one of the team's top contributors early on. After starting the first three games and averaging just 3.7 points a contest, head coach Fran O'Hanlon decided to move Capusan into the reserve rotation The senior has responded with back-to-back 16-point efforts and has averaged 12.0 points per game since then. All throughout, Capusan has been the most accurate shooter on Lafayette's roster. He is hitting for 64.9 percent (61-of-94), including 10-of-11 vs. Colgate, which ranks him second in the Patriot League.
ON THE SIDELINE: Two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Fran O'Hanlon (Villanova, '70) is in his eleventh season as the Leopards' head coach. He has twice led Lafayette's non-scholarship program to the NCAA Tournament and lays claim to three Patriot League regular-season titles among his credentials. O'Hanlon's career record stands at 157-143, a mark that includes two 20-win seasons.
NEXT UP: A non-conference showdown against Penn at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa. lies ahead for the Leopards. The tip is set for 7 p.m. The match-up marks the final non-conference game for the 'Pards as they head into the meat of Patriot League play.
LEOPARDS AT THE LINE: Lafayette ranks 21st in the nation in free throw percentage according to the latest NCAA statistics (Jan. 9). Coming into the last reporting week, Lafayette was shooting 76.3 percent (151-of-198) and was ranked ninth in the nation but dropped down to 74.8 percent after a 9-for-13 night at Mount St. Mary's and a 5-for-10 effort at Holy Cross. The Leopards converted 20-of-24 (83.3 %) against Colgate, which improves the team to 75.6 percent overall. Jamaal Hilliard, who finished fifth in the nation in 2004-05 at 91 percent, is hitting 84 percent (.844) from the line. Bilal Abdullah leads the team, shooting at an 84.8 percent clip.
MORE FREE THROW NOTES: Lafayette's big men have also been very accurate at the line. Andrei Capusan has converted 21 of his 27 attempts (78%) while Everest Schmidt has made 21-of-25 (84%) and Ted Detmer (71% - 37-of-52).
A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT...AGAIN: In a pair of January wins, the Leopards have received a solid team effort out of anyone that stepped on the court. In its first Patriot League win of the season, four players hit double-figures, paced by Andrei Capusan's 21 and Jamaal Hilliard's 20. Five others finished with at least six points. The same number hauled in at least three boards, as the Leopards won the battle 31-26. In Lafayette's win over Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 3, each of the eight players who participated in the game scored at least six points. With Everest Schmidt sitting out due to illness, the bench was shorter than usual, especially in the rebounding department, and the Leopards' received a team effort with every player grabbing at least two rebounds as Lafayette outrebounded Mount St. Mary's 30-29. Ted Detmer led the way with five caroms followed by three other players with four.
HILLIARD STARTS AND DELIVERS: After missing the first three games of the season due to a stress reaction in his foot, Jamaal Hilliard has earned a start in the Leopards' last seven contests. The junior is one of the top returning scorers from last year's lineup and has showed why as of late. Hilliard has averaged 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game when he is in the starting lineup. He poured in a season-high 20 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and three steals in the team's Patriot League win over Colgate, 85-74, on Wednesday night in Easton.
WHO'S IN THE STARTING FIVE?: Fran O'Hanlon has used seven different starting lineup combinations through Lafayette's first 13 games (see chart on page 7). No player has been in the starting lineup every game this season. Sophomore Ted Detmer has started a team-high 13 games, while classmate Bilal Abdullah has 12 starts under his belt. Freshman Andrew Brown and sophomore Everest Schmidt have each started 11.
WHO'S COMING OFF THE BENCH: The Leopards have gone deep into their bench early into the season, and it's expected to continue as Patriot League play opens. Fran O'Hanlon has consistently played nine players, all of whom have averaged at least 17 minutes a game.
BENCH SCORING: Lafayette is far from dependent on its starting five for scoring. The Leopards' bench has averaged 30 points per game of the team's 69 points per game average, 43 percent of the team's scoring.
STELLAR SOPHOMORES: There has been no sophomore slump for the Class of 2008. The five-member sophomore class makes up one-third of Lafayette's roster and at times, three-fifths of the starting lineup. Bilal Abdullah leads the team in scoring (10.7 ppg), while four others (Ted Detmer, Everest Schmidt, Paul Cummins and Matt Betley) are averaging a combined 25 points a game. Overall, this class has contributed 51 percent of the Leopards' offense, while hauling down 59 percent of the team's boards.
JUST YOUR STANDARD FIVE-GUARD SET: At times during the 2005-06 season, Fran O'Hanlon has employed a five-guard lineup. Even with the loss of Marcus Harley for what will likely be most if not all of the season, the Leopards are very deep at the guard position with six guards now seeing significant time on the floor. While the lineup obviously gives Lafayette trouble on the boards, the quickness of the Lafayette guard corps forces matchup problems for the Leopards' opponents.
SCOUTING NAVY: Navy enters tonight's contest looking to snap a three-game losing skid and earn its first win of 2006. Among the three losses, two came against Bucknell (74-52) and Lehigh (65-58) in league action. The Mids are 6-8 and sit in three-way tie for sixth place in the league at 0-2. A trio of players bolster a guard-oriented offense that relies on quickness and outside shooting. Navy's roster features 10 guards and half as many forwards. Four Navy players are averaging in double-figures, led by a pair of sophomore guards in Greg Sprink (13.6) and Corey Johnson (12.8). Rookie Kaleo Kina manages 10.6 points a game, while 6-6 forward Matt Fannin pours in 10.1 in and around the basket. Head coach Billy Lange has also relied on another rookie in Clif Colbert, who is averaging 7.4 ppg in nine starts. The freshman earned league Rookie of the Week (1/3) honors following three straight wins to close out 2005, a week in which Navy swept the PL's weekly awards, as Sprink earned Player of the Week accolades. Lange is midway through his second season with the Mids and has posted a 15-27 record, including this season's 6-8 start.
SERIES NOTES: Although Navy owns the all-time series 35-20, the Leopards have been winners in nine of the last 14 meetings, dating back to Feb. 3, 1999. Under head coach Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette is in a 9-9 lock with the Midshipmen.
LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Lafayette has played 581 games against the seven members of the Patriot League, and has a 328-253 record in all games against them. In Patriot League play, Lafayette is 88-110 in the regular season and 10-13 in the Patriot League Tournament. Under Fran O'Hanlon, the Leopards are 73-55 in Patriot League regular-season play.
American: 16-14
Army: 30-18
Bucknell: 82-53
Colgate: 33-41
Holy Cross: 13-23
Lehigh: 133-69
Navy: 20-35
PICKING IT UP ON THE BOARDS: After being out-rebounded by an average of 19.5 rebounds per game against St. Joseph's (44 to 19) and Notre Dame (43 to 29), Lafayette refocused its efforts on hitting the glass. An undersized Lafayette squad has two forwards Ted Detmer (5.2 rpg) and Everest Schmidt (4.8 rpg) lead the team in rebounding while four other players are pulling down more than three rebounds per game. Lafayette has won the battle of the boards on six occasions, resulting in six wins.
DOUBLING UP...AGAIN: Sophomore forward Everest Schmidt added another double-double to his season output against Dickinson on Dec. 20. Schmidt dropped in 10 points and equaled that number of rebounds. Schmidt posted his first career double-double on Nov. 22 vs. Alvernia, scoring 12 points while pulling down 10 boards, both career-highs.
THE LAND OF THE THREE: Employing a run-and-gun, up-tempo style, head coach Fran O'Hanlon and the Leopards have clearly established a more perimeter-oriented offense with this year's team. The Leopards have shot 34.4 percent from three-point range, and have hit at least 10 three's in five contests this year. Lafayette has considerable depth at the guard spot and features several players with long-range capabilities. Paul Cummins leads Lafayette with 25 three's, while Andrew Brown owns 24 and Pat Betley 22. Lafayette ranks first in the league with 111 three-pointers made (7.9 per game).
A FAMILY SKIRMISH: For the second straight season, a Lafayette player faced off against his brother in a game. On Dec. 20, Junior guard Kerry Kenny lined up against his younger brother Cory Kenny who is a freshman at Dickinson. In 2004-05, Matt Betley squared off with his older brother, Chris, when Moravian came to College Hill. The Leopards ended up on the positive side of both games.
BROWN TAPPED LEAGUE'S ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (11/27): In the second week of nominations, the Patriot League named 5-11 guard Andrew Brown its Rookie of the Week for the period ending Nov. 27. The freshman started both at point guard during that week and averaged 11.0 points in the Leopards' pair of wins. The Littleton, Colo. native is the only freshman to break into the starting lineup.
SENIOR STANDOUTS: Lafayette's two seniors have shown leadership throughout the young season, but the co-captain duo broke out in style against Marist on Dec. 3. Guard Pat Betley and forward Andrei Capusan combined for 41 points and 49 percent of the Leopards offense in the 92-84 defeat. Betley hit seven three's in the contest, recording a career-high 25 points. Capusan came off the bench against Marist and St. Peter's to score 16 in each contest. Against Dickinson, Capusan poured in 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
DEFENSE DOMINANT IN CONSECUTIVE IVY LEAGUE WINS: The Lafayette defense drove the team in a pair of Ivy League wins over Princeton and Cornell to close out November. Lafayette held Princeton (11/27) to just 46 points and 40 percent shooting in a 57-46 victory. The Leopards also forced 18 turnovers (9 of which came on steals) against the Tigers' ball control offense. Lafayette followed that with an even more dominating defensive performance against Cornell on Nov. 29. Lafayette forced 18 turnovers, held the Big Red to a 31 percent effort from the floor and allowed 43 points. The last time that Lafayette held two D-I opponents below 50 points in consecutive victories was the beginning of the 1998-99 season, as Lafayette beat Dartmouth 56-41 and Princeton 63-47.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Predicted to finish seventh in the Patriot League preseason poll, the Leopards have been working hard to silence the critics and return to their winning ways. Behind 14 first-place votes, Bucknell topped preseason the list as the favorite heading into the season. After posting an even 6-6 in non-conference action, Lafayette finds itself 1-1 heading into today's tilt with sixth-place Navy. Bucknell leads the league with at 11-3.
MANNING THE WHEEL: At the start of the season, seniors Pat Betley and Andrei Capusan were named captains for the 2005-06 team. Betley and Capusan are in charge of a youthful squad which features just four upperclassmen (juniors or seniors) who play a significant role.
FIVE FRESH BODIES FOR MAROON AND WHITE: Head coach Fran O'Hanlon and his staff had a busy offseason, inking five new student-athletes, three of which hail from South Jersey. Additions to the Lafayette roster include guard Andrew Brown (Littleton, Colo.), forwards Derek Heckendorn (Haddonfield, N.J.), Brian Young (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and Dave Smith (Cape May Court House, N.J.), and center Tom Leszczynski (West Babylon, N.Y.).
CUMMINS, BETLEY EARN PL HONOR ROLL ACCOLADES: Sophomores Matt Betley and Paul Cummins earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll status following the spring semester, while recent graduate Jamie Hughes also earned mention. Betley, currently an undeclared major, carried a 3.50 grade point average in his first year on College Hill. Cummins boasted a 3.28 GPA as a freshman biology major.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (x3): Bilal Abdullah is aiming to improve on an already solid career in the Maroon and White. In 2004-05, the three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week honoree averaged 8.7 points per game and 1.0 assists per game as a rookie. He scored 15 points and contributed five rebounds, three assists and three steals against Navy on Jan. 8 to give the Anchorage, Alaska native his third Rookie of the Week honor in 2004-05. He was also named Rookie of the Week on Dec. 20 after a 21-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist performance in Lafayette's 95-89 overtime win over Cal State-Northridge. Abdullah also earned the honor on Jan. 3.
HOOPING IT UP OVERSEAS: Top Lafayette assistant John Gallagher coached a team of current college players over the summer, including Lafayette sophomore forwards Ted Detmer and Everest Schmidt, while they toured Belgium, France and Holland. The team represented Global Sports, a full service sports and entertainment marketing, public relations, advertising and management agency. The work overseas appears to have paid off for the two big men, as they have both moved into a starting role in 2005-06, while adding a solid presence under the basket.
YEP, THEY'RE RELATED: At the start of last season, senior co-captain Pat Betley welcomed his first cousin Matt Betley to the Lafayette basketball program. Bearing the same surname, their fathers are brothers. Both players have New Jersey roots, as Pat hails from Haddonfield, while Matt calls Mount Laurel home.
THE EUROPEAN CONNECTION: A pair of European natives appear on Lafayette's roster, along with student-athletes from seven different states. Four years ago, senior co-captain Andrei Capusan came to College Hill from Bucharest, Romania. Teammate and sophomore guard Paul Cummins crossed the Atlantic from Kildare, Ireland to Easton, Pa. just a year ago.
ALL-TIME AT LAFAYETTE: In the 95 seasons of men's basketball at Lafayette College, the Leopards hold an overall record of 1167-1016 (.535). Lafayette's first season of basketball was in 1900-01 when the team posted a winning record of 4-3.
LAFAYETTE ON TELEVISION: For the ninth straight season, Lafayette features the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. The Leopards have 12 games televised and have the possibility of adding three more televised contests in the Patriot League Tournament. The Lafayette Sports Network is airing 11 games to more than 9.1 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region, Philadelphia, central New Jersey and New York City. Locally the telecasts can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5 and broadcast channel 60. Nationally, they can be picked up for the sixth straight year by various DIRECTV and DISH Network outlets. Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties, while former Lafayette men's basketball coach John Leone will provide color commentary. Additionally, RCN's Dan Mowdy will provide sideline reports.
ON THE RADIO: One of the longest running radio broadcast relationships in college basketball, WEST-AM 1400 enters its 70th year as the radio home of Lafayette Athletics. Dick Hammer is in his 39th season of calling the play-by-play for Lafayette men's basketball. Hammer is joined by Carl Schumacher at home games and most road contests by Phil LaBella (Lafayette SID). WEST-AM Stereo 1400 continually enjoys one of the highest AM ratings in the Lehigh Valley. WEST's broadcasts can be heard live worldwide through www.lafayette.edu.
